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by pil-flip (s_n_a_k_e)



Series: Broken Vessel but Oro is their dad now [2]
Category: Hollow Knight (Video Games)
Genre: Broken Vessel and Oro need to be happy, Gen, Injury? Kinda described?, They're a family now, implied self harm
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-28
Updated: 2019-11-28
Packaged: 2021-02-18 06:50:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 944
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21590302
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/s_n_a_k_e/pseuds/pil-flip
Summary: Broken Vessel finds a better family. That family is Oro.
Relationships: Broken Vessel | Lost Kin & Nailmaster Oro
Series: Broken Vessel but Oro is their dad now [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1556023
Comments: 7
Kudos: 66





	Home

They were vaguely aware of motion, sounds, pain, the light that consumed everything, blinding, burning, whispering. They felt themselves get hit, eventually felt the weight on their head burst and they collapsed, finally able to see, hear, feel. They reached out to the bug in front of them, that looked so familiar, like family. A vessel. Like them. And then everything went dark.

* * *

They woke up and they hurt. They barely managed to drag themselves over to the nail in the ground, and used that to lift themselves up off of the dusty ground. They remembered trying to get somewhere, couldn’t remember where that was. But one memory stuck with them, of pale ash and warmth, comfort, home. So they started to walk, using their nail like a cane because their legs were shaking and their vision was blurry like they stood up too fast. But they hadn’t. Their arms still felt heavy, and their feet dragged when they walked. The ends of their torn cloak got caught under their feet and they fell, but got up and kept walking. They had to. They passed orange blobs that made them feel terrified of something, light, a voice in their mind that wouldn’t go away, and they walked away as fast as they could.

* * *

When they finally got to the place in their memories, the large house with thick red fabric in the door, surrounded by falling ash and the Great Hoppers they remember hating so much, they’re more broken than when they started walking. Drops of void trail behind them, dripping from their cuts, from the hole in their mask. They’re still using their nail as a cane and they can barely even lean on it when they get to the door and knock on the wall. Three knocks, just like always. 

The fabric is moved aside almost immediately, even though they thought the knocks would barely be audible. The bug standing in front of them - they remember his name is Oro, he taught them, he’s safe and won’t hurt them, he’s family - takes one look at their torn cloak, stained with orange and black, and the amount of dust and ash on them, and steps out of the doorway. He holds the fabric to the side, waits, and when they don’t move he asks “Are you going to come in?” and they hesitate, shake their head and gesture at their cloak with one hand. 

“What, do you think I care about my floor getting dirty right now? You’re hurt. Come inside before I leave you out here.”

So they walk in, brushing the dust they can off of themselves before they do. Oro watches, says nothing as they walk in leaning on their nail, but takes the weapon and gives them something easier to walk with. They manage to get to the spot they always used to sit at before their legs decide that they won’t walk anymore. They fall but Oro catches them, sets them on the floor and leans them against a wall because they can’t sit up properly on their own. 

“You’re worse than I thought. I’ll be right back. Don’t try to go anywhere, alright?”

They nod, void running down their face, and then watch as Oro finds clean bandages and old rags. He walks back over to them, wipes the void off of their face with a rag, and they take the bandages to try to cover the hole. It won’t help much, but it might keep the ash out.

“Put those down and let me help you.” Oro takes the bandages from them and starts wrapping their face with the cloth. It hides the hole, and even though the void stains it very quickly it does at least keep it inside of their mask. 

As soon as they can, once all of the cuts are bandaged and there isn’t as much dust on them, they go to hide in a corner and wrap themselves in the fabric hanging from the walls. It’s thick and warm, and they feel tired.

“Before you go to bed, would you mind telling me where you’ve been?”

* * *

They wake up after another dream about light, scratching at the bandages on their arms, curling up as small as they can and hiding in the dark red fabric that they’ve started sleeping in, pulling the pile of blankets they have over their head. 

They hear someone walk over and pull the blankets off of their head. Oro sits next to them, not too close but not too far away. They wrap the blankets around themselves like another cloak and lay on the floor. They sit in silence for a while, the only noise is the wind outside and the thud of distant Great Hoppers jumping.

It’s almost an hour before Oro says anything. “How are you feeling?” 

They shake their head. 

“Oh. I… I’m sorry. Do you want to talk-"

He stops talking when they hug him, just carefully fixes the blankets and then hugs the broken vessel. 

They eventually fall asleep and Oro carefully lays them on their pile of blankets, sitting next to them until he can’t stay awake.

* * *

They tap a small song on the floor with their hand, and Oro hums since they can’t. 

They get up, slowly like always, and walk over to the door, look outside at the ash, tapping the tune on the wall. They can still hear Oro humming, the faint noise that the tea kettle makes before it boils, the distant noise of the Great Hoppers. They reach out to touch the ash, and they feel calm. This is home, and it always has been.


End file.
